Transportation Center’s annual Summer Transportation Institute

Institute participants – all South Carolina high school students – were involved in an intense and structured learning environment, which exposed them to advanced highway design, highway construction, transportation of people and cargo, inter-modal aspects of transportation, laws, environmentalism, transportation career opportunities, college preparation and enhancement activities during the institute.

The Federal Highway Administration Office of Civil Rights, located in Washington, D.C., provides the funding for the Institute in partnership with the S.C. Department of Transportation and the South Carolina Division Office of Federal Highway Administration.

SC State’s STI celebrated its 15th anniversary as the pioneer host site for the many STIs throughout the United States. Dr. Reinhardt Brown, interim executive director of the James E. Clyburn University Transportation Center expressed his continued appreciation for the partnership with the U.S. Dept of Transportation Federal Highway Administration.

During the four-week Institute, June 15 to July11, 15 high school students from seven high schools in South Carolina participated in several transportation-related field trips, including a two-day trip to Atlanta, Ga., where they visited and learned about the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) transportation system and Stone Mountain National Park. They also visited Bavarian Motor Works North America Facility (BMW), Greer, S.C.; S.C. Public Safety Department, Blythewood, S.C.; Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum, Mt. Pleasant, S.C.; McEntire Air National Guard Base, Richland, S.C.; and the Columbia Metropolitan Airport Authority, Columbia, S.C.

“Students who participated in the Summer Transportation Institute gained insight into various areas of the transportation industry, life skills, research competencies, and college preparatory requirements,” said Larrie B. Butler, institute director. “The information received will assist students in choosing careers and taking advantage of opportunities in the transportation industry.”